Adjustable player attachment for pianos



Sept. 4, 1928. 1,682,877

' F. c. WHI'TE ADJUSTABLE] PLAYER ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS Filed Nov. 12, 1921 IN V/ENTOA' Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

- a 3 ite umeemies PATENT "caries.

FRANK C. WHITE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOE, BY M' ESNE ASSIGNIVIENTS, "TO SIMPLEX PLAYER AC'IIQN COMPANY, I

oonronn'rion or nEw Yon-K.

ADJUSTABLE PLAYER ATTACHMENT non Pianos.

Application fileclNoveniberlZ, 1921. Serial N0.. 514l,585.

My invention. relates to mechanical piano playing apparatus, and more, particularly to. an adjustable means of connection between certain parts thereof, whereby. substantial advantages will be gained, The construction and advantages will be hereinafter fully described incidental to. describing the structure.

The principle of the invention may be employed widely inathe art, and for. that reason, I donot wish to have it understood that. all my claims are limited to any particular type of player mechanism.-

In the present case Ihave shown my inventienas associated with that typeot player mechanism known as a cabinet, player, thatis'to say, a player in which the mechanical parts are mounted in a housing or cabinet. which in this particular instance is designed to be supported upon the. floor and moved up to the keyboard of an ordinary piano, so that by means of pneumatically operated strikers,

1 the piano actions maybe operated, in this instance through the medium of theusual keys. y Inasmuch as the height of piano action mechanism from the floor varies indifferent pianos, it is important to haveasimple and effective means, whereby the player apparatus may be so adjusted relatively to the piano that its. striker devices will operate correctly in the various positions otadjustment, and

my improvement is of such wide application,

I that it may be successfully employed for thispurpose. 1 c l v In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view'of so much of a piano and player mecha nism as is necessary for the purpose of fully illustrating my improvement, the illustration of certain parts being largely conventional.

Fig. 2is a rear elevationof certain parts of the'player mechanisms Fig. 3 is a detail view.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of certain parts, the couplerwire being shown in section. j

1 represents the front portion of a piano case. 1-1 represent respectively the white and, black keys of an ordinary piano action. 2 represents a portion of the case or frame of a socalled cabinet piano player, there being therein contained suitable mechanism, which, by means of the usual perforated note sheet 3, operates to cause the piano to play.

operating the piano action.

In the particular form shown, the

mechanism is of the pneumatic type; & 4t" 1 represent conventional-1y striker neumatics, which, for the sake of compact.- ness, are usually arranged in parallel banks.

" These pneumatics are connected with a. suitable action chest 5, in which isconta-inecl the.

INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N Y1, A"

usual pneumatic valve mechanisms (not. shown) controlled from a tracker board 6.. I The usual means may be provided for'oreatjing the necessary exhaust to operate the va-. rious pneumatics. All of the foregoingde tails in themselves constitute no part of the present invention.

At the back of the cabinet, I provide a rail '7, which is mounted at its ends on guide. posts 88, upon which posts said rail maybe moved up and down ior ad ustment. Pivots ally mounter upon the lower side of the rail, I

'7 are strikers 9.10, which, in this instance,

constitute mechanical fingers for engaging and operating the piano keys I1 ,respec tively. In the form shown, these strikers'are in the form of bell cranks pivoted at 11.. 12 -12 are couplers which I may termlcoupler wires, roller wires or rockerwires, interposed between the action neumatics, and the strikers'910. Each of these couplers. (see Fig.

3) may be conveniently made of stifi wire bent into the formof acrank withthe eccentric portion thereof, that is to say, the crankpin portion, of substantial; length for-the bearingsfM-l, and are arranged parallel ,to the plane of movement of theraili and to .said strikers as the same :are moved up and purpose hereinafter described. These coupier wires 12 are mounted to rock in suitable for each ofthe striker devices employed for i tion by a small spring 17 It will now be seen. that if the pneumatic 4% is collapsed. the crank pin portion of the coupler wire 12 which constitutes in effect a relatively long rod on As shown: in.

pneumatic, and one coupler wire is provided elongated coupling member will be transversely moved in a direction to move the striker 9 and operate the piano action.

If it is desired .to shiftthe player to other piano, and theaction keyboard of said other piano is higher than the one with which the apparatus was first associated, the user hasbut to move the rail 7 up on the guide byreason of the fact that the coupler wires or rods 12- are parallel with the plane of of theso-called cabinet? type, but may berods 8 to a desired degree to cause the striker devices 9-10 to assume the proper posi. ion with relation to the piano action keys. cases where this adjustn'ient involves a vertical movement the parts may be secured in adjus'ted position by an ordinary set crew 16.

In Figure 1, I have illustrated by dotted lines the position of the rail 7 and associated parts,

adjusted to a greater height than indicated in solid lines in said figure. It will benoted,

movement of the rail and strikers, that when the same arebcing ad usted, the CO11'i'6ClZ-K'G- lationship between the strikers 9-10 and the couplers 12 will always be preserved so "that said striker will operate as intended no matter- What the position of adjusti'ncnt maybe between the two extreme limits in this case, said limits being determined by the length of the guide posts 88 and the length of the cou-v pler wires or rods 12. i I

As I have before indicated, thisiinvention is'capable of wide application, and'is not'necessarily confined to a piano player apparatus used wherever an adjustable sliding connection is desired between relatively movable parts ofa pneumatic player piano mechanism. While-I haveused the term piano herein, it' should be understood'that by that and separately movable by said penumatic term I intend to include organs.

' While I have shown and described my invention vas applied to a penumatic player mechanism which is supported independentlyof the piano itself, I am conscious of the factthat it may be successfully employed in aplayer apparatus supported by the piano 7 or otherwise. Vhat I claim is:

1.- In aplayer apparatus, pneumatic ac-.

tion, device's, mechanical action devices, means for transmitting movement from the former to the latter comprising a plurality of roller wires'mounted to move transversely action devices,said mechanical action devices bein 'ad'ustable to different positions relaa 1 1 tively to-the length 0t said roller wires and being operable therebyinsaid difi'crcnt positions of adj ustment. V

2. In a player apparatus, pneumatic action devices,'mechanical action devices, means for transmitting movement from the former to the latter comprising a plurality of roller wires pivoted at their ends and transversely movable by said pneumatic action devices,

positions of adjustment.

said mechanical action devices being adj ustable oto different positions relatively to the length of said roller wires and being operable thereby insaid different positions of adjustanent. V v

3 Ina player apparatus, pneumatic action devices, mechanical action devices, means tor transmitting movement from the former to the latter comprising a plurality of crank shaped coupler wires pivoted at their ends andseparately movable by said pneumatic action devices, said mechanical action devices being adjustable to different. positions relatively to the'length of said coupler wires and being operable thereby in saiddifferent i; In a player apparatus for pianos and the like, a piano action, a pneumatic player action comprising a plurality of action pneuinatics, mechanical means of connection between said action pneumatics and said piano action for transmit-ting movement from the former to the latter, said mechanical connections including ad ustable connections comtween said action pneumatics and said piano:

action for transmitting movement from the r'ormertothe latter,,said mechanical connec tions including adjustable connections comprising a plurality of roller wires mounted at their endsto rock, and a plurality of striker devices co-acting with one side thereof and relatively movable longitudinally thereoi'to different positions of adjustment and operable thereby in said difierent posi- I tions of adjustment.

6. In a player apparatus, piano -action mechanism, pneumatic action mechanism for operating the same, power transmission means between said two'mechanisms including a plurality of roller wires mounted at their ends, the intermediate portions of said roller wires being transverselymovable, means'for connecting the pneumatic action mechanism with oneside o-fsaid roller-wires, and means for connecting the, piano action mechanism with the-opposite side of said roller wires, one of said connecting means being movable longitudinally on said roller wires to different operative positions, whereby the piano action mechanism may be operated by the pneuinaticiaction mechanism in different positions of adjustment of one relatively to the other. i

7. In a player apparatus, piano act-ion mechanism, pneumatic action mechanism,

llt

iii

and power transmission means operatively connecting saidtwo mechanisms and including a plurality of roller wires pivoted at their 1 ends, said mechanisms being operatively connected with the opposite sides of saidroller wires, one of said mechanismsbeingadjust able longitudinally thereof to different posi tions of, operative engagement.

8. In a player apparatus for pianosand the like, piano action devices, pneumatic action devices including striker pneuinatics, and means of connection between said devices including a plurality of transversely movable coupler rods arranged to impart-.motion' from the pneumatic action devices to the piano action devices, the pneumatic action devices en 'aging one side of said rods,the pianoa ction devices engaging the other side of said rodsone of said setsot devices being 1011 gitudinally slidable on said rods to different operative positions thereon.

"9. A player apparatus for pianos and the like, comprisingm case movable with relation to the body of the piano, a plurality of S'DIlliGI pneumatics carried on said case, a plurality of piano action devices carried on. the body of the piano, and tiltable coupling means between the striker pneuinatics and said piano rangedintermediate the said striker pneu-' inatics and said piano action devices and arranged to transmit motion from the striker pneumatics to the piano action devices in dill fei'ent relative positions of the former and the latter. 7 7

11. In a piano player apparatus, a set of piano action devices, a set of pneumatic striker devices for selectively operating said piano action devices, a carrier for said striker devi es on which carrier said St-IlkGF'ClQVlCQS are mounted, and coupling means between said strikerdevices and said piano action devices for mechanically transmitting the motion of the striker devices to the piano action devices in different positions of the formerrelatively to the latter, one of said sets of devices being freely slidable on and relatively to said coupling means.

12. In a piano player apparatus, a set oi pianoaction devices, a set of pneumatic striker devices for selectively operating said piano action devices, a carrier for said striker devices on which carrier said striker devices are mounted, and coupling means between said striker devices and said piano action devices for mechanically transmitting the motion of the striker devices tothe piano action devices in different positions of the former relatively to the latter, oneof said setsof devices being freely slidableon and relatively to said coupling (means, said coupling means comprising rods arranged to tilt.

13'. In piano player apparatus, a set of piano lCt10Il"Cl6V1C6S, a setof pneumatic striker devices for selectively operating said piano action devices, a carrier for said striker devices on which carrier said striker devices are mounted, and coupling means between said striker devices and' said piano action devices'for mechanically transmitting the motion of the striker devices to the piano former relatively to the latter, oneof said sets of devices being freely slidable on and'relatively to said coupling means, said coupling means comprising rods arrangedt-o tilt, said rods being pivotally mounted at their ends.

14. In a piano player apparatus, aset of piano action devices, a. set of pneumatic striker devices for selectively operating said piano action devices, a carrier for said striker devices on which carrier said striker devices are mounted, and coupling means between said striker devices and said piano action devices for mechanically transmitting the motion of the striker devices to the piano;

action devices in diiferent positions of the former relativelyto the latter, one of said sets of devices being freely. slid'able on and relatively to said coupling means, said coupling means comprising rods arranged to tilt, said rods being pivotally. mounted at both ends.

15. In a piano player apparatiis,a piano case, piano action devices carried thereby striker pneumatics, a carrier therefor movable with relation to the piano case, and me chanical couplers for transmitting movement from said striker'pneumatics to said piano action devices in diiierent relative positions of said striker pneumatic carrier relatively to said piano case, said striker pneuinatics and said piano action devices action devices in different positions of the being operatively connected with opposite sides of said couplers, wlierebysaid couplers will transmit motion from the former to the latter in different positions of the carrier with relation to the piano case. v

'16. In a piano player apparatus, a piano case, piano action devices carried thereby,

strikerpneumatics, a carrier therefor movable with relation to the piano case, a plurality of rocker wires for transmitting movement from said striker pneumatics to said piano action devices 1n different relative positions of said striker pneumatic carrier relatively to said piano case, said striker pneumatics and'piano action devices being operatively connected with the opposite sides of said rocker wires, said piano action devices being slidablc longitudinally on said rocker wires.

17. In combination, a piano action, a'pneumatic player action includin striker pneumatics, a case for the latter, said casebeing movablcrelatively to said piano action, means to transmit the playing movement. of said striker 'pneun'iaticsto said piano action in different positions of same relatively to said -action'and comprising a plurality of substantially parallel, transversely movable rods, said piano action being 'operatively associated with'said rods on one side of the latter, said strlker pneumatics being operatively .associatedwlth said rods on the other 'side'thereo't', said piano action being longitudinally adjustable relative'to the rod.

18. In anapparatus of the character de scribed,.a driving device and a, driven device, coupling means interposed between said driving and driven devices comprising an elongated member, said. driving device and driven device being operatively associated with the opposite sides of said elongated coupling member, supporting means for said elongated coupling member whereby the gaging the opposite sides parts being movable longitudinally thereof latter may bemoved transversely relatively to its length and whereby motion from the driving device to the driven device will be transmitted therethrough, one of said devices being slidable longitudinally on said elongated coupling member andcooperating therewith as aforesaid in at least tWodif-v ferent positions of adjustment. 7

19. 'In a piano player mechanism,'a transmission train for transmitting power from a mechanical playing mechanism to a piano, said'transmission means comprising a roller wire, a driving part and a driven part ento diiferent operative positions relatively thereto. I g v 20. In a piano, a piano key and action, a player action and means for supporting the same adjacent to the keyboard of the piano,

a connecting mechanism connecting the play or action with the piano action, said connecting mechanism being provided with an elongated crank men'iber which may be actuated byflthe player action in any position between certain predetermined limits on the elongated crank member.

FRANK 0. WHITE.

thereof, one of said, 

